Letting Go
by CravingHoneydukes
Summary: "You gave everyone the strength to continue fighting. They weren't fighting for you, but rather with you. They would have wanted you to continue on and stop grieving because—and don't bother denying it—grieving can't bring them back. You have to carry on."


**Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, so I have no ownership over this amazing world. I don't even have a Hogwarts letter—I'm still waiting for it to come. *sigh***

Ginny sat in the plush red armchair a few feet away from the crackling fire. Her head swam with the happenings of the past few days, and she honestly didn't know how to process everything.

Voldemort was gone. Dead.

Her whole world had changed in an instant. After he fell onto the cold stone floor with a look of complete astonishment, she could feel the blood pounding in her ears and coursing through her weary body. It was over, it was all over, and all she wanted to do was find the boy—the man—that had saved the world.

He made it harder than that, though, and she spent hours looking for him. She finally grew tired of the hunting and searching and decided to go up to bed in her old dormitory. Harry could wait, as much as she tried to deny it.

.:*:.

The next few days passed in a blur. The Weasleys, including Harry and Hermione, went back home to the Burrow. A somber mood hung over the house like a rain-heavy cloud and would not leave. Mrs. Weasley tried to be bright and chipper around others, but when their backs were turned, tears would leak out of her grief-ridden eyes. Arthur would spent hours on end locked in his shed when not at work, and Ginny suspected that all he did in there was sit and stare at random muggle objects. George was the gloomiest anyone had ever seen him. He acted as a ghost, only sulking downstairs to grab food and drink. Harry would mope down by the hidden pond in the woods, and every so often, Hermione and Ron would join him.

One day, Ginny had had enough. She had lost her brother, Remus and Tonks, and numerous friends. She refused to let him slip through her grasp too. So, taking matters into her own hands, she followed Harry when he slunk off to the pond the next morning. She crept behind him, keeping her footsteps soft and airy. The dew was still hovering over the grass of the surrounding fields, and the twittering birds sat primly on their branches. Their songs were too happy for her mood.

Some time later, possibly an hour or only a few minutes, she broke through the trees' fronds and saw him sitting on the surrounding rocks, dangling his feet in the murky water. She stood and watched for a few moments, then walked over to him. Leaning over, she unclasped her worn sandals and sat on a long, flat rock. Harry sighed. The water looked inviting, so she put her feet in with a soft plop.

Gazing up into his sad green eyes, Ginny couldn't help but notice the tears that he hadn't bothered to wipe away. Sorrow and fury rose up inside of her, and instead of pushing it down like she had for a year and a half, she let it all out.

She grabbed his chin and jerked it towards her. "Look at me, Harry James Potter. There was absolutely _nothing_ you could have done to save all those people. They died because they felt that the cause of freedom was worth more than sitting and huddling in their homes. They wanted to _do _something, and quite frankly, I don't blame them. I would have done something too, it you and Mum hadn't forced me to stay back." She took a deep breath and hugged her wet legs to her chest.

"You gave everyone the strength to continue fighting. They weren't fighting _for_ you, but rather _with_ you. They would have wanted you to continue on and stop grieving because—and _don't _bother denying it—grieving can't bring them back. You have to carry on."

"Ginny…" he trailed off. A moment of silence reigned down upon them before he finally gathered his thoughts. "You don't know what it was like on the run. I couldn't see or speak to _anyone_ that wasn't Ron or Hermione. When I listened to Potterwatch, it would scare me so badly. I didn't want—I don't want people risking their lives like that. It scared me so much that one day…I would hear your name. I was scared because I didn't want you to go through any pain, but"—he chuckled darkly—"it happened anyway, and there wasn't anything that I could do to stop the whole thing. I had to sit in my tent and plot where to search for the next bloody horcrux."

She turned suddenly and clasped his hand that was resting beside him on the rock and rubbed circles on the back of it with her thumb. "But I'm here now."

"Yes, but…I know the war is over, but I can't help but be scared of the future. We have to rebuild, Ginny. Do you know how long that'll take? There are so many war-stricken families, so many orphans. Oh, Ginny…Teddy. He's an orphan; I'm his godfather. I'm only seventeen—how am I supposed to take care of a baby? I just…"

"You have us. You have the family. We'll help you—why wouldn't we? And besides, he still has Andromeda. He's the only part of Tonks she has left, and I bet she'd love to have him with her for the time being."

They sat in a comfortable silence. "You know," Harry breathed. "We never did get to finish that kiss from last summer."

A sly grin eased its way onto Ginny's face. "So…are you saying you'd like to finish it?"

"I'm not saying I wouldn't."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for the cheekiness, Potter!" She shoved him and watched as he teetered backwards, lost his balance, and landed in the shallow water. A glint appeared in his brilliant eyes as he shook his bedraggled hair out of them and splashed her front with the cool water.

She jumped up, splashing even more, and kicked more water into his face. She giggled as he stood up, but stopped as soon as he reached his full height. _Merlin, he'd grown._

He lunged toward her, and she let out a peal of giddy laughter as he tackled her into the pond. They continued on like this until they finally tired of having squirts of water thrown into one others' faces. Ginny was lying on her back with the cool water around her, fanning her hair into a brilliant, fiery halo. She hummed and closed her eyes against the dazzling sun.

This feeling, this love, would never go away, she realized. She loved him with all her heart, and she vowed she would never let him be taken away from her again.

"Harry…I love you."

The hand he had been skimming over the water stopped. He slowly looked up at her, brushed his hair away from his forehead, and plopped it back into the water.

She kept humming contentedly, not giving any indication whether or not she had just said that. Harry sat there, shell-shocked. Instead of replying, he unfolded his legs and stood up. He started walking back to the Burrow in a daze. She got up and followed, running to catch up.

As they walked, she noticed he kept shooting her curious glances from her right. Finally, he took her small hand in his large, calloused one. Her eyes softened and she felt the side of her mouth quirk up.

The sun was high in the sky and casted short, squat shadows behind them. The birds were no longer singing, instead, they were flying gracefully from tree to tree. Ginny watched as a large shape, possibly an owl, flew to one of the windows of the Burrow. She sank into the feeling of having her hand being in his, and unconsciously gave it a gentle squeeze. Several steps into the garden, Harry stopped and tugged on her arm. She went crashing into his chest and felt it vibrate as he let out a soft laugh.

"One more thing, Gin," he said as he tilted her chin up so he could meet her gaze. "I love you, too." And as their lips met—not for the first time, and definitely not for the last—they were blissfully unaware of the celebrating going on inside the ramshackle house by the rest of the family.

Later that night, Ginny decided that she'd be there with him through it all, whether he wanted her to or not. Their love was worth it.

**Ew. I don't like the ending. If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them…PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. Thanks, lovelies!**

**~CravingHoneydukes**


End file.
